How to unstick vintage wooden drawers?

[GoodyG]

Hi everyone, I hope someone can help. The two drawers under one side of a vintage wooden bed are stuck fast and no one has been subtle to yank them open. The knobs are circular so don’t give much grip either. The bed is inside the house so it shouldn’t be moisture which has expanded the wood. Here is a photo of a drawer on the side which can be opened. Take the bed apart??

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @GoodyG 

Well you probably right the timbers not swollen as  they used real timber back in the day.  A possibilily is the draw floor has sagged and hitting on the underside of the draw.  So if you have one your two metal flat thingies  like a  large g clamp back bone  you might be able to slide that in between the under the draw and the base helping it slide out. once you open  the draw  10 mm you might be able to gently lever more of the draw open.

To repair this common failing add some 19 mm by 40mm  pine under the draw (if there is space) Glued and screwed to push the base back into flat shape. You may need to replace  draw base with some new plywood.  This wont be known  until the draws are out.

Failing this  it maybe best to tilt the bed up on its side so you can explore for the source of the jamb from underneath and you should be able to push from the back of the draw  now to not need tools.

Jambing furnature  rub both surfaces it with soap   candle wax  when dry not not melted. Furniture polish has waxes in it and more modern silicone  spray might help I prefer candle wax for my  best results.  If any timber warped  just  sand or plane it down to fit.

Good luck  please dont over force the  draw or you might make matchsticks.

[GoodyG]

thank you so much. That’s excellent advice. We will look for a flat metal thingy to see if sliding it under the drawers helps. This is a really heavy bed with an attached bookcase at the head, so I don’t like our chances of tipping it on its side, but maybe if we get a team of footballers over that’s the way to go. 

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @GoodyG 

You cant open  both draws? because if one is out you can try the following flatten stuff in the draw from the side and push from the rear once your down under there.

Another scenario is some thing inside the draw is sitting proud /tall and needs to be pushed  flatter  to open it like a long 1 meter rule or feel with al flat bar A car jack  winder might work in to feel if something sitting proud.  or  even 30cm ruler might reach to offending item.

If you cant put it on it  edge you might have to put a wide chisel or flat screw driver in past the white cloth and gently try levering draw a bit.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @GoodyG. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about un-sticking a drawer.

Those older style drawers were built with such tight tolerances that even opening them unevenly by one knob can cause a jamb. They are notorious for getting stuck. Look at the top of the drawer and see if its top edge runs parallel to the bed carcass. If one corner of the drawer is further out than the other, this could be the cause of the jamb. You'll want to push the corner that is further out back towards the carcass and then try to pull out the other side. A butter knife can assist in prying out the drawer on the side that's jammed.

It would be my suspicion that the side with the material stuck in it needs to be pushed in and the right-hand side pulled out.

Mitchell

[GoodyG]

Thanks again for your excellent advice. The picture I showed is of a drawer which CAN open. I just posted that photo to demonstrate a little bit more of the bed drawers to give people an idea of their construction. The two drawers on the other side of the bed are completely stuck shut so photos wouldn’t have been much help.

[GoodyG]

Thanks heaps Mitchell. Great advice.  The photo I posted is of one of the drawers which can be opened. I didn’t think there was much point uploading a photo of completely closed drawers so by posting a photo of one of the drawers slightly ajar gave a bit more info.

I’ll look for an old butter knife, palette knife or something similar to see if wedging it in and wriggling it can dislodge the stuck drawers a bit. Not Granny’s silverware 😁

cheers

[GoodyG]

I’m wondering now if we can shove open the stuck drawers under the Queen sized bed by taking out the two drawers on the opposite side, and push the backs of the two jammed drawers. I’ll report back. Hopefully we don’t shove too hard and they fly out and put a hole in the wall. Or a body part doing the shoving gets stuck inside the bed frame. Stay tuned for the tv news where Fireys have to rescue embarrassed homeowners with the jaws of life. 

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @GoodyG  if @MitchellMc  

Is right about the slightly  crooked  draws and he could be right then simply re align the draws then use both knobs at once and it should come out straight with little effort then lube the draws. 

Good luck have fun.